Schönheitskönigin: The Reigning Beauty
by setsuka-kun
Summary: Beauty Pageant AU: Senju Academy was holding its very first Beauty Pageant, and Sakura Haruno was an unlikely contender. Sakura's friend's believed it would be good for her lack of self-confidence. However, Ino Yamanaka, who has been in Beauty Pageants since she was younger, decides to enter the contest as well.
1. Chapter 1: Das Abkommen

_I remember the day well…_

_The day my life would change…_

_Change for the better…_

It was a hot August day, the eighth. The cicadas were screaming, and the sun was bearing down on me. I didn't particularly mind it; the walk to school was always nice throughout the year, but today was especially beautiful. The trees gracefully danced in the gentle wind, their green leaves floated and swayed with the thin branches. The grass glistened with the sun; the sprinklers had just stopped running. I breathed in; the air was crisp and fresh, and smelled like freshly cut grass. The smell reminds me of watermelons, and food cooking on the barbeque. It was nostalgic. I smiled at the thought. Today was certainly going to be a good day.

I pranced into homeroom, and sighed as I watched my best friends, Naruto and Sasuke, argue over tedious things. Well, Naruto was getting worked-up over nothing, and Sasuke simply answered in sarcastic remarks. We were unlikely friends, and we always fight. I remember the day we all met.

_Our homeroom teacher, Kakashi Hatake, wanted me to help him review his assignment on each students future that he had us fill-out today. Mr. Hatake's plan was have the student's fill-out another one when we become first years in highschool, and afterwards compare them to now, when we were first years in junior highschool._

_"__Mr. Hatake, it seems we have a slight… problem," I mumbled under my breath as I nervously shuffled through the papers._

_"__Hm?" Mr. Hatake looked up from his book. "And that would be?"_

_"__W-well, I-uh," I was so flustered, even if he was just my homeroom teacher. I hid behind my fringe. "It seems two students, Na-naruto and Sasuke, haven't filled out the paper at all. They haven't turned them in at all."_

_"__Oh, I see. That is quite the problem. I'll call them here immediately," Mr. Hatake abruptly got up, and walked out the door. Five minutes quickly passed, and Mr. Hatake returned with Naruto and Sasuke. "Alright you two, I'm not allowing you two to leave until you finish the assignment, so I suggest you get it done."_

_Naruto groaned, "But I already turned it in!"_

_"__I-I'm sorry, but I didn't see it in the pile," I squeaked. I tried not to make eye contact with him. I staggered over to him, and handed the assignment to him. "If you need help, you can ask me."_

_I quickly glanced at him, and I noticed his face had turned red, "R-right. Thanks, do you think you could help me then?"_

_"__S-sure," I smiled at the blonde boy. I turned my attention to the dark haired boy. "Do you need any help?" _

_"__Hmph," the boy simply grunted, and pretended to be paying close attention to the assignment._

_"__Oh, alright, sor—"_

_"__Don't take that from him! Tell him he's a bastard!" Naruto shouted at me. "Don't be so submissive to a jerk like him!"_

_I nodded at the blonde, and I turned my attention back towards the dark haired boy. "H-hey! It isn't polite to ignore people!" They both stared at me for a moment. The blonde busted a gut laughing, and the dark haired boy smirked a bit._

_"__You aren't too bad, but you'll definitely need some work. Don't worry, I'll help you! The names Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto smirked as he held out his hand to me._

_I grabbed his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Haruno." Naruto's grip on my hand tightens as he violently shook it._

_"__The bastard's name is Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto stated briefly. I couldn't tell if they hated each other or liked each other. I chuckled as they began to argue. I could get used to this. _

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura!" I shook my head, and noticed Naruto waving his hands like crazy. "Why are you standing over there? Come over here!"

"Okay okay, I'm coming!" I strolled past Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki. My pace quickened, but Ami stopped me.

"Hey Billboard Brow," Ami smirked as she flipped her dark purple hair. "Don't get ahead of yourself just because Sasuke has blessed you with his presence."

"I-I'm not getting ahead of myself, Ami," I stuttered as I drew up all my courage, just like Naruto told me to do.

"Excuse me? Did you just try and talk back? To me!?" Ami growled. I took a step back. I started to sweat and shake. Kasumi and Fuki laughed as Ami began to approach me.

"Alright class, please take your seats," Mr. Hatake's voice made Ami stop dead in her tracks. I hurried past the three girls, and sat down in front of Naruto. "Hold in your joy, kids, but as you know the annual Senju Festival will be coming up soon, so we need to pick something that our class will do. I need the committee member to come up. I'll have you take over, and I'll get out of your hair." Mr. Hatake took his chair, and sat by the window reading his book.

Rock Lee approached the front of the room. He was probably the best committee member as he was very enthusiastic and had a lot of school spirit. Rock Lee spun around, "Alright everyone, we should aim for the best in whatever we do! Does anyone have any youthful suggestions?!"

Naruto's hands shot straight up, "How about a ramen stand?"

Rock Lee wrote 'ramen stand' on the board, "I like your enthusiasm!" Rock Lee looked out into the class, but no one else seemed to have any ideas. Rock Lee frowned, "What about a youthful performance?"

"What about a beauty pageant? There are mostly girls in this class, so it'd work out well. Plus, Ino has been in them since she was younger, so I think we could pull it off," Neji inquired frankly. The girls murmured, and agreed that it would be fun.

"Wouldn't it also be good to invite girls of different classes to participate? We could ask Principal Tsunade if we could use the gym, and we could put money together for prizes," I suggested. The beauty pageant sounds like a great idea, but fitting it in the classroom wouldn't work.

Ami sneered, "Yeah, right! No way would that idea would really work, idiot."

"Actually, Ami," Mr. Hatake interrupted. "That is actually a good idea. Do we have any objections to this idea?" Mr. Hatake scanned the room. Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki raised their hands. "Alright, nobody has objected, so I'll ask the principal for permission afterschool."

The final bell rang loudly over Mr. Hatake's babbling. I gathered up all my school books, and gently placed them into my brown bag. I twiddled the cherry blossom charm that Naruto gave me between my fingers. I chuckled to myself, he was so cheesy. I felt an arm snake around my neck as they pulled me into their chest.

"Wha'cha laughing about, Sakura?" Naruto questioned as he got closer to my face.

I quickly pushed him away, "N-nothing in particular, you i-idiot!"

"Don't be like that, Sakura," Naruto pouted.

"I hate to bother you two lovebirds, but I need to talk to you, Sakura," Mr. Hatake butted in.

"We aren't anything like that—" I began to protest.

"The first step is denial, Sakura!" Naruto playfully said. He smirked at me, and winked.

"Oh, whatever! What do you need to talk to me about, Mr. Hatake?"

"Well, regarding our activity for the annual festival, I forgot what our activity exactly is…"

"You forgot?!" Naruto and I simultaneously gasped.

"Now, now, it's not like I _forgot_, I just believe you would be able to voice the idea better."

"Is that so? Then tell me, what exactly was the activity idea?" I raised an eyebrow at him. I was comfortable around Naruto and Mr. Hatake. I could be… myself.

Mr. Hatake ran his fingers through his gray hair, "Well… it was a performance… of some sort?"

Naruto and I groaned, he _did _forget, "A beauty pageant."

"Right, right, whatever. Anyway, I wanted you to ask the principle for permission for our activity. You're a lot more convincing than me, and you're a trusted top student. She's much more likely to agree with you."

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess I'll try to convince her…" I grabbed my schoolbag and followed Mr. Hatake to the principal's office. I timidly knocked on the door, and waited for a reply. I stood there for a second, and waited. Mr. Hatake walked up to the door, and knocked loudly. A loud 'come in' was heard from the other side. Mr. Hatake winked at me with his only visible eye, and I walked into the office.

The blonde woman looked up from her work, "What can I do for you, Sakura?"

"W-well Ms. Tsunade, it's about the annual Senju festival…"

"The festival? I don't recall you being a member of the committee," Ms. Tsunade spoke sternly. She was a lovely woman, but she believes in equal treatment.

"I know that, but the idea for the festival w-was mine," I recalled the things Mr. Hatake told me before we left that classroom. "I believe that I am the one to voice the idea best, and I feel I have the responsibility to ask you directly."

Principal Tsunade smirked, "I see. I'll let it slide just this once. So, what is your idea for the festival?"

"Well, I think we should do a school-wide beauty pageant. Anyone and everyone can participate; they just have to sign up. I don't have everything completely down yet, but we have Ino Yamanaka in our class, and she has competed in beauty pageants before. I think she could help. If not, I'll do research and—"

"That's enough, Sakura. However, where do you intend to host this beauty pageant? I don't think the classroom is large enough for that activity."

"I was going to ask you if we could use the gymnasium to host the activity. Our class will decorate and clean the gym up afterwards."

"I see… I'll think about it. I'll give you a solid answer tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Tsunade." I turned away for her, and left her office.

"What did she say?" Mr. Hatake asked as soon as the office door completely shut.

"She told me she'd think about it…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it; just bug her about it when she comes home." Mr. Hatake walked away, and I giggled. Mr. Hatake was a crafty old man.

I dug the key into the keyhole, and busted through the door. Wearing a blazer today definitely wasn't smart. I practically tore it off my body. I jumped on the couch and turned the fan on. I closed my eyes and sighed in utter delight as the fan blew a huge gust of cold air on me. I opened my eye to check the time. It was 5:48 P.M. I pushed myself up from the couch, and made my way into the kitchen to start on dinner: chicken breasts and alcohol. I sat up the kitchen table with a table cloth, fancy napkins, wine glasses, and candles. I took the chicken breasts out of the oven; they were a beautiful golden brown color and seemed to be moist and tender. I set the food on the table, and poured wine into the glass. I heard the front door open, and I ran to the doorway.

"Welcome home, Auntie!" I sang as Tsunade was locking the door. She turned around, and smiled at me.

"Thanks, Sakura," Tsunade walked over to me, and kissed me on the forehead. "Something smells good, is dinner ready?"

"Yes, please sit down and enjoy the meal." I watched as Auntie Tsunade groggily walked into the kitchen. Tsunade gasped loudly.

"Sakura, I love you! You're the greatest niece ever!"

"I love you too, Auntie." I smiled as I sat down across from Auntie Tsunade. Chicken is her favorite food, and I kind of want her to say yes to the beauty pageant idea. I watched as she gobbled down the chicken. I'm pretty sure all the fat she consumes goes to her boobs and butt.

"So," Tsunade swallowed the chicken, and took a huge gulp of wine. "I really like the beauty pageant idea; I'll help you plan it out and whatever else you need."

"I thought you believed in fair treatment, Auntie?"

"I can spoil you at home, can't I?"

"I guess so. Thank you for offering to help, but you work so much already and—"

"Well, then we'll have Uncle Jiraiya help out. He doesn't do anything but write porn books and drink my booze!"

I laughed, but it was sad because it was very true, "Thanks, you're the best Auntie ever!"

"However, there's something you have to do for me in return."

"Eh? What would that be?"

"You have to participate in the beauty pageant."

"Oh, oka—wait what?!"

"You don't have to win or anything, I just want you to participate."

"But why? I'll only embarrass myself."

"Don't say that, Sakura! But, I think you should because it would be fun, and good experience."

"And if I say no?"

"Then no, there will be no beauty pageant."

"Alright, fine. I'll do it."

* * *

**A/N: Well, this chapter fell a thousand words short of my goal, but I thought this was a good place to end the chapter. It's only the beginning, but I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I'm really excited about this story, so I'm hoping to get another chapter in tomorrow or the next. Please review! **

**I also have a question, if Sakura had a talent, what do you think it would be? (I.E. singing or dancing) I don't really have any good ideas, (or any talents either lmao) so I'd appreciate some help! If you have an idea, you can either PM me or leave it in a review. I hope the next chapter is 3,500+ like I planned. Look forward to it!**

**~setsuka-kun**


	2. Chapter Two: Lösen

Riiiiing!

I groaned as I rolled over, _'Morning already?' _I pulled a pillow over my head as my alarm clock continued its ringing from hell. I heard my door bust open and angry footsteps as they pattered toward either me or my alarm clock…hopefully my alarm clock. The alarm stopped, and I waited for the footsteps to retreat out of my room.

"Sakura…" a very stern, but sleepy voice greeted. It was Mama Mebuki, thankfully. "It's time to wake up; you don't want to wake up your father with your alarm clock."

I removed the pillow from my face, "I know, Mom. I just didn't want to wake up just yet."

Mom chuckled, "Don't worry; I know exactly how you feel. However, it's time to get up. Aren't you excited for the Senju Festival? Tsunade did say yes to your idea after all."

"That's true…" I looked down, and then back up at Mom. "I want the beauty pageant to be really amazing!" Mom patted my back, and smiled warmly at me. She knew I could do it.

"I'm also looking forward to your performance in the pageant," Mom teased, but my body froze. I totally forgot about that! What am I going to do? How do you even perform in a beauty pageant? "Don't stress so much about it, Sakura. You are really beautiful."

"You're only saying that because you're my mom." I turned away from Mom. It was true. I wasn't really beautiful, or anything remarkable. Mom sighed, and left my room. I sat down in my room with deafening silence surrounding me. Is calling myself unattractive insulting to her? I got up off my bed and grabbed my uniform. I put on a light pink camisole; it was a bit lighter than my hair, and the black pleated uniform skirt. I zipped it up at the side, and then grabbed a white collared shirt. I put my arms through the short sleeves, and began buttoning it up. Half-way through I realized I skipped a button. I groaned as I unbuttoned and re-buttoned my shirt. I looked long and hard at the light blue vest as I wondered if I should wear it or not. I knew for certain that I wasn't going to wear the navy blue blazer; it was way too hot for that. I decided to wear the pastel blue vest, and then finished off the outfit with a navy blue tie. I dug through my sock drawer as I searched for a pair of matching socks for five minutes. I found a pair of white socks that stopped just below my knees. I grabbed my schoolbag and hurried down the stairs.

"Why are you running around like you're late, Sakura? You don't have to leave for another ten minutes," Mom asked as I grabbed my lunch.

"Well, I really enjoy the walk to school, I guess…" I blushed; it was embarrassing to admit that I liked walking to school.

"Well, I suppose it's good we live so close to the academy, so you don't have to ride the bus," Mom laughed as I ran to the door. I slipped on my brown loafers, and groaned as I had to bend down to fix them. They were a bit old, but they were still in good condition!

"Well, I'm off!" I shouted as I left home. I went down my usual route, and I admired all of the beautiful flowers. A white butterfly flapped by my face. _'An omen, maybe? I believe the butterfly represents change, or something?' _I thought about the butterfly some more, but laughed at myself. It was a bit dumb to think about something like that.

"What's so funny?" a very deep voice inquired. I nearly jumped out of my skin, and I quickly looked around, but then they appeared in front of me. It was a fairly tall boy, his skin on one side was very dark, but it was patchy on the other side, I think he has Vitiligo, a skin pigment disease. His hair was a lovely forest color, and his eyes were yellow. I noticed he was wearing Senju Academy's male uniform. His tie was white, indicating he's a third-year student.

"I-I-I wasn't laughing at you o-or anything, I was just thinking about something, and I thought i-it was kinda dumb, and…" I tried to explain, but I was embarrassed and I started rambling on. I looked at him nervously and noticed a watering can in his hand. "Are you watering the flowers?"

"It's fine, but yeah, I am," his voice seemed to have lightened up, and he continued watering the flowers.

"Do you do water them every day?"

"If I don't, they die. Since its summer, I come before the suns up to water them, but today I was a little late."

"How come I've never seen you before then? I walk this path every day."

"I know. I always see you walk by, but I hide."

"You hide? Why?"

"Well, look at me. I wouldn't want you to think I was a monster or anything."

"A monster?" I chuckled lightheartedly. "You're not even close to a monster!"

"But I look strange."

"Isn't that because of a skin pigment disease?"

"Yeah, Vitiligo…"

_'__I totally called it.' _I thought. "Well, Vitiligo doesn't make you a monster or strange looking. In fact, I think you're handsome."

I felt my face heat up, and I looked away from the pink-haired girl in front of me. Nobody has ever said such nice words to me. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome… do you think we can meet again?" She pleaded with her emerald eyes.

"I guess," I looked back at her. "My name is Zetsu."

"Okay, Zetsu, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" A beautiful smiled blossomed onto her face, and she waved good-bye. As she walked away, she twirled around. "My name is Sakura, by the way!" I watched as she walked away. _'Sakura, huh?' _I smiled as I finished watering the flowers.

I skipped the rest of the way to school, I was incredibly happy that I made a new friend, and I felt relaxed and comfortable around Zetsu. I really do hope I can see him more. I opened the door to homeroom, and happily walked to my desk. Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki didn't utter a word when I walked by either. Today was really going to be great.

"Yo, Sakura," a bright-eyed blonde called as I sat down.

"Hey Naruto, what's up?" I still had a huge grin on my face from thinking about Zetsu.

"Whoa, you look happy today, I'm glad! What happened?"

"Well, I actually talked to an upperclassman today. He was really sweet, and I think we're friends now," I blushed a little. It's a little embarrassing talking about Zetsu.

I heard Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki giggling behind me. Ami piped up first, "Ha! As if an upperclassman would ever talk to _you_, Billboard Brow, it was probably a figment of your imagination." Kasumi and Fuki audibly agreed with Ami. I looked down, _'Why are they so rude?!' _

"Yuck! Tell your mutt to settle down, Forehead!" Fuki cringed. I turned to Naruto, who was glaring daggers at the three girls.

"N-Naruto, please don't do that," I whispered to him harshly.

"Why should I, Sakura?" Naruto sneered.

I was hurt by his tone, but I knew he just misplaced his anger, "Just for now, let's not get into a fight or anything."

Naruto sighed, but then smiled, "Fine, whatever you want, Sakura."

I smiled, "Thanks, Naruto." The bell rang signaling the start of homeroom. Naruto got up, and sat down in the seat in front of me. The whole class was silent as we waited for Mr. Hatake. Ten minutes passed, but he didn't show up. The class was beginning to get impatient, but Mr. Hatake coolly made his appearance.

"Sorry for being late, kids. I just got lost on the path of life," Mr. Hatake rubbed the back of his head. I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they'd stay in the back of my head. "I also got this." Mr. Hatake held up a piece of paper with a stamp of approval from the principal. "Principal Tsunade has approved our idea for the beauty pageant, as well as using the gym. Regarding all the other information, instead of Rock Lee getting everything together, Sakura Haruno has volunteered to get everything together." The girls in the class cheered in excitement, and the boys exchanged suggestive glances. "Anyway, onto the lesson…"

The bell chimed signaling the start of lunch. I pulled out my lunch, which was leftover chicken from last night. Naruto turned his desk around, and pulled out instant ramen. Sasuke's desk was pulled over to our group by Naruto. Sasuke didn't say much, but we enjoyed his company.

"Sakura, are you gonna enter the pageant?" Naruto grinned as he looked at me.

"Uh, well—why do you ask?"

"Because you totally should enter the contest, and win! Or at least, place higher than _them._"

"I agree, you should," Sasuke simply stated.

"We finally agree on something!"

"Why do you think I should?" I kind of wanted to know, he doesn't say much after all.

"It would be good for your confidence. I'm tired of listening to you whine and complain about how you look." Sasuke coldly said.

"Bastard…!" Naruto growled as he stood up.

"Naruto, sit down. It doesn't matter anyway, I'm going to enter."

"What? You decided already?!"

"Yeah, I made a deal with Aun—Principal Tsunade. She wouldn't allow it if I didn't enter."

"Excuse me; may I have a minute, Sakura?" A very cheery voice announced. I turned my head and saw Ino Yamanaka!

"U-uh, sure thing, Ms. Yaman—"

"Just call me Ino," she smiled sweetly. "Come with me to the bathroom for a second, 'kay?"

"A-alright," I turned to Naruto and Sasuke for support: Naruto gave me a thumb up, and Sasuke shrugged. I quickly followed after Ino, and received envious glares from Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki.

"Why do girls always go to the bathroom together?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"No clue."

The walk to the bathroom was quiet and awkward, but my guard was up, and I wasn't exactly sure what to say to one of the most popular girls in school. I followed Ino into the bathroom, and she turned to face me.

"I'm sorry for dragging you all the way here, but it was a little embarrassing to say it in front of Sasuke and everyone else in the class. The truth is, I really want to join the beauty pageant, and I want to help you put it together to give everyone attending and participating in the competition an authentic beauty pageant experience."

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what Ino just said, "You… you want to join the beauty pageant?" Ino nodded her head. "You also want to help me plan the beauty pageant?" Ino nodded her head again, and frowned a little.

"You don't believe me, Sakura?" Ino sounded a little hurt.

"N-no, it's not that, it was just unexpected and sincere and—"

Ino laughed loudly, "I was teasing, don't worry. I'm a bit of a drama queen, I admit it. I really like you though; I think it'll be fun.

"Yeah, planning the pageant does sound fun!"

"Not just the pageant, silly. Getting to know you sounds fun!"

"Pardon?"

"Truthfully, I've wanted to get to know you. You seem really interesting through your shyness. I'm sure that's how a lot of people feel."

I felt my face get red, this day sure was filled with surprises, "T-thank you."

"Oh, lighten up, Sakura! I have a quick question though."

"A question? Go ahead."

"Are you going to be competing in the pageant?" Ino's usually bubbly personality quickly turned serious.

"Y-yeah…"

"Why are you going to join the pageant?"

"Well, Principal Tsunade told me that I had to join if I wanted the pageant to be an accepted idea."

"That's it?"

"Well, ye—"

"That's a sorry excuse to join the pageant, Sakura. I'm a bit disappointed."

"What do you mean, Ino?"

"I see a lot of potential in you, Sakura, and that potential isn't going to come out if you half ass preparing for and participating in the pageant. You need more resolve. You need a reason, or an aspiration, or something to drive you to do well in the pageant, not having someone make you do it. You've got to do it for you, Sakura! I've met many girls in beauty pageants, and I've never truly considered any of them rivals. I knew none of them were worthy. But you, Sakura, you have so much potential. I'd hate to see it wasted. I want you to think long and hard about why you want to join the beauty pageant. Talk to me when you figure it out."

I watched as Ino briskly walked out of the bathroom. My jaw dropped. I was at an absolute loss for words. I wasn't sure if she was complimenting me, or insulting me, but I felt a little fired up. I felt the desire to win to beauty pageant and prove people wrong, but most of all, I wanted to prove myself wrong. I wanted to run to Ino, and tell her, but I wanted to think some more about why I wanted to join the beauty pageant. I walked back to the classroom. I was met with a concerned Naruto.

"Sakura, what happened? What did she say?"

I felt bad, but I ignored Naruto. I packed up my things, and I left. I informed Nurse Shizune that I wasn't feeling well, and she gave me a slip to go home. I laid on the couch in the living room, thinking. I thought so much my mind started going numb. There was a loud pounding sound at the door, and I stopped thinking for a moment. I groggily raised myself off the couch and answered the door. It revealed a very concerned Naruto.

"Sakura, please tell me what's wrong and what happened."

I let out a deep sigh, "Fine, but you actually have to pay attention to what I say." Naruto nodded, and I let him inside. He sat down on the velvety couch, and I sat down next to him. I told Naruto everything that happened inside the bathroom.

"Well, I guess I do agree with her."

"Me too, and I think I'm going to talk to her tomorrow."

"That wouldn't be a problem, but tomorrow is Saturday."

"Her family owns Yamanaka flowers, idiot."

"Oh, right. Right. But she's the most popular girl in school. Wouldn't she have plans on a Saturday?"

"That's true, but I don't want to give up. I want to talk to her tomorrow and that's that."

"'Atta girl, Sakura!"

"Thanks Naruto, for listening, and for everything. But you should leave before, Auntie or my parents come home."

"That's true, I don't want to make any of those three angry," Naruto chuckled. "See you later, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Naruto," I smiled, and waved. I got up off the couch, and dragged my feet to my room. Once inside, I began pacing back and forth. I thought about exactly what I wanted to say to Ino. I didn't want to say the wrong thing. I took a deep breath, and climbed into bed. I closed my eyes for a second, but then I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sun rising, it was about 6 A.M. I hopped out of bed, and into the shower. After I got out, I dried my pastel pink hair so that it wasn't dripping wet, and strolled over to my closet. I took out a collared red button-up tank top, and a khaki colored pleated skirt. I quickly buttoned up the shirt, and adjusted the collar. I pulled the skirt over my petite legs. The skirt was fastened at my waist with a dark brown belt decorated with a bow. I paraded back into the bathroom and began to brush out my damp hair. I opened the cabinet door and pulled out a small pink and black blow dryer with stylized swirls. I quickly dried out my hair, and tied my hair pack into two low twin-tails that barely passed my mid-back. I played around with the bangs that covered my forehead, but I got frustrated because nothing looked good with my huge forehead. I left the bathroom, and descended down the stairs. I poked my head in the kitchen and saw my mom cooking breakfast.

"Hey mom," I called out from behind the doorway.

Mom looked over her should briefly, then back to the omelet, "Yes, Sakura?"

"Would it be alright if I went to see my friend right now? It's important and—"

"Of course, sweetie! Be home by 10."

"In the morning?"

"No, at night."

"I don't think I'll be out that long, Mom."

"You never know," Mom sang. "Be careful, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I smiled and raced out the door. I strolled down my usual route, hoping to get a glimpse of my new friend. I walked silently, hoping to hear his footsteps crunch through the dirt and twigs. I kept walking, and I took notice of Zetsu a ways down the walkway. I quickened my pace, but stopped as I saw him talking to another young man. His hair was spikey and black, and he wore an eye patch over his left eye. He was quite handsome himself, and seemed to be quite charismatic… or maybe very immature? I kept walking, and got a little excited seeing Zetsu again, "Zetsu!" I called as I ran. I watched him and his friend turn. I stopped in front of them, and smiled.

"I didn't think you'd actually come and see me today," a very small smile formed on Zetsu's face.

"Well, I had an errand to run, and I wanted to see you, so here I am."

"Zetsu, who is this girl? Tobi wants to know!"

"Uh, this is Sakura…" Zetsu weakly introduced. I waved at Tobi.

"Oh, is Sakura your friend?"

"Yes, I am." I proudly announced, and I watched as a look of surprise form of Zetsu's face. "What? Are we not friends, Zetsu?"

"Well, I don't know. I didn't think you would think of me as a friend of anything."

"Can Tobi be Sakura's friend, too?"

"Sure, Sakura would love to be friends with Tobi," I giggled as Tobi's face lit up. "Well, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Tobi. I hope to see you guys again soon!" I waved, and walked past them. I quickened my pace as I passed Senju Academy. I took a couple turns, and arrived at Yamanaka Flower's. I walked into the store and gasped in utter delight. There were so many beautiful bouquets. I was in awe at all of them.

"Ah, hello. I haven't seen you around here before. My name is Inoichi Yamanaka; I run this store with my wife, daughter, and son."

_'__Son? I don't recall the Yamanaka's having a son…' _ I smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Yamanaka. I actually came here to speak with your daughter, Ino."

"Oh, alright. I'll go get her." I watched Mr. Yamanaka disappear for a few moments, and Ino return in his place.

"You have your answer, Sakura?" Ino stared at me, and I nodded my head. "Great, come upstairs into my room. You can tell me there." I followed Ino through the store and into a hallway. We climbed the stairs, but Ino stopped at a room and shouted, "I have friends over, so don't come into my room!" Ino continued walking, and opened the door to her room. It was mostly purple, blue, and white. It was a room fit for a princess. Ino sat on her bed and motioned me over. "So, tell me, what is your reason for wanting to enter the beauty pageant?"

"W-well," I gripped the hem of my skirt, my voice was shaky. "I've never been confident in myself, except when it came to school. I was c-constantly bullied for how I look; my pink hair and huge forehead weren't exactly drawing any good attention. I've never thought I was beautiful, but I was envious of people that were, honestly. B-but, I want to feel beautiful and I want to be confident in myself, and no amount of compliments or sweet words will do it for me. I want to rely on my own thoughts of myself to feel beautiful, not others. That's why, if I don't win, I won't be disappointed or anything like that. I just really… want to feel beautiful." At this point, I was completely shaking and I was tearing up. That was how I truly felt, but what if Ino didn't accept what I said. I glanced up at Ino, and she was wearing the most beautiful smile I've ever seen on her face.

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**A/N: Yay! Chapter 2 is finished, and met the 3,500+ word goal! Sorry Sakura met the lame members of the Akatsuki first, not hating on Tobi or Zetsu though, I love them to death! I haven't really given much thought to pairing ideas or anything, so if you'd like to see an endgame pairing, tell me! (This is certainly a MultiSaku fic, in case you were wondering.) Oh, I just love this story! I haven't revised this chapter, so I might go back and edit it, if you see a mistake, please tell me! Please review.**

**I'd like to thank:**

**- la canella**

**- LovingPillow**

**for their reviews. Shout out for you two for being wonderful! I hope you all enjoy my story, and be harsh. I may slightly be a masochist.**

**~setsuka-kun**


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